Pregnancy After Miscarriage: Balancing Between Loss of Control and Searching for Control

Abstract

Pregnant women who have had miscarriages face challenges in responding to the loss of the previous pregnancy and the uncertainties of the early pregnancy that follows. The research question in this qualitative study was: How do women experience miscarriage, conception, and the early pregnancy waiting period, and what types of coping strategies do they use during these periods? Twenty-four women were interviewed in a subsequent pregnancy after having a miscarriage. Data analyses resulted in an overarching theme described as "balancing between loss of control and searching for control." Although women realized there was little they could do to influence the outcome, they searched for strategies to increase the feeling of control in each period of waiting. The results of this study may contribute to interventions to support women during miscarriage and subsequent conception and pregnancy.

Journey Interrupted: A Phenomenological Exploration of Miscarriage

“…Reactions to miscarriage may be ever evolving and shaped by perceptions of fertility, recurrent miscarriages, subsequent pregnancy, and the achievement of motherhood. The concept that a miscarriage is not a moment but rather an event that influences and shapes a lifetime has been well documented in the research (Frost et al, 2007;Gaudet et al, 2010;Harvey et al, 2001;& Ockhuijsen et al, 2014).…”

“…Psychological morbidity may include symptoms of depression, anxiety, and grief (Frost, Bradley, Levitas, Smith, & Garcia, 2007;Nikčević, 2003;Nikčević et al, 2007;Robinson, 2014;Séjourné et al, 2010), or expressions of anger, guilt, and self-blame (Nikčević, 2003). Feelings of self-betrayal (Miller, 2015), isolation, loneliness, fear, panic, lack of understanding (Harvey et al, 2001), and failure (Ockhuijsen, van den Hoogen, Boivin, Macklon, & de Boer, 2014) are prevalent.…”

“…Miller (2015) reported that women often lacked confidence in their ability to have children after a miscarriage or pregnancy loss. A preoccupation with achieving motherhood (Frost et al, 2007) or feelings of jealousy and guilt when interacting with pregnant women or with babies also occurred (Ockhuijsen et al, 2014). Furthermore, the impact on subsequent pregnancies is worth noting.…”

Expecting a child: pregnancy in light of an ontological health model

“…Topics studied include pregnancy in relation to depression in women or in connection with stress, violence or sexual abuse . Women's experiences during pregnancy are also studied in relation to specific circumstances, such as age and obesity or pregnancy after miscarriage or chronic illness .…”

Exploring a self-help coping intervention for pregnant women with a miscarriage history

“…In a previous study, among women with a history of miscarriage(s), emotions and coping strategies (Ockhuijsen, van den Hoogen, Boivin, Macklon, & de Boer, 2014;Ockhuijsen, van den Hoogen, Eijkemans, et al, 2014) and the perception of the PRCI were investigated in two focus groups (Ockhuijsen, Boivin, van den Hoogen, & Macklon, 2013). The PRCI could help women to cope as they wait for a subsequent pregnancy to be confirmed as on-going, but it is unclear whether the PRCI developed or used in other clinical situations may need to be tailored to be effective in this setting (Ockhuijsen et al, 2013).…”